Touched: Part 2

(Continued from Part 1)

The gay bar goer then awaits for the first comfortable breaking of personal space. He has been visually aroused by the performances by the manly eye candy on stage, and is already eager to elevate this with the sense of touch.

But the gay man needs to wait. Especially if with the boy of his choice.

He can start feeling up the dime a dozen (or P100 each) all-the-way dancers as much as he wants to. The bigger gay bars openly release them to the customers who are eager to get close to the rock hard dicks of these less-than-quality men. In the smaller gay bars, these men in the nude go directly beside the customer (an act the bar terms as "area"), where, for a tip, they allow themselves and their rock-hard thingies to be tapped, squeezed, fondled, grasped, and even shockingly stroked repeatedly. But to do that with his preferred macho dancer may take more than a hundred pesos and a one-time visit.

Touched: Part 1

The macho dancing gay bar of Manila has been known to be a very visual place. Patrons go there for the sights of dancing men in various states of undress. "Nude men, right before your eyes" seems to be a catch phrase for the curious wanting to enter the gay bar. Those who frequent the bar even find it as a feast for the lusty eyes.  

What I experienced last weekend in the gay bar got me into thinking though. I got the services of one of the fully dressed masseurs roaming the bar. Not the happy-ending type of massages, mind you (yeah, who would like to get it on with an er-ish oldie male masseur). For a tip of P100, these men try to give a 20-minute less-than-spa-treatment, if not painful, rub on the neck, shoulders, and back. It's a service offered to customers wanting to be relaxed, while watching the entertainment on-stage. 

The massage I got from this particular male masseur opened me up -- his warm hands stroking the grooves of my shoulder, his knuckles forcing the tight knots out of my back muscles, and his thumbs pressing deeply yet carefully into my palms. It was quietly arousing, without intending to be. And then, I thought:

Why can touch become so important in a very visual place?

Binibilog ang Ulo

Matagal na kaming sinasabihan ng ilang mga kaibigan naming nagtatrabaho sa gay bar. Mag-ingat daw kami. "Huwag ka maghanap ng relasyon dito. Dapat enjoy lang," ang ilang beses na nilang sinabi. 

Noong sinabi yun ni "Minnie"*, isang gay impersonator ng bar, hindi ko siya naintindihan noong una. Madalas na kaming mag-upo sa tabi namin ng mga macho dancer. Madalas na rin kaming lumabas kasama sila para makipag-date. Nag-eenjoy naman akong pinaliligiran ng mga boys, sabi ko sa kanya. Tinanong ko siya kung bakit.

"Syempre sa trabahong ito, kailangan nilang bilugin ang ulo ng mga customers," sabi niya. 

Tabling the Top

First it was Beatty. Then, Phoenix. Derek was supposed to be in the same list, but left the bar. I then found out Russell was the same, a long time ago. Last week it was Japoy. This particular list of men surprised me.

I used to shy away from the top macho dancers of a gay bar.

When I was new in the gay bar scene of Manila, as I would choose which among the available macho dancers I'd request to sit with me that night, I'd select from only the bar's new models. Not the popular ones. Not with regular guests. Not one in the top 10 of monthly drink sales. Not the Mr. Gay Bar competition reigning title holder.

So my usual lines to the gay floor managers who would push me to "table" a guy were "Wait, which are the new ones?" or "I like that guy. Is he new?" or "I'll just wait for the modeling (or 'all-cast') when all of them are on-stage and get from the fresh-looking boys." If I find out if the guy I fancy is one of the bar's star macho dancers, I'd just scan the bar for someone else to sit with me.

So among the guys in the macho bar, how would I identify these top dancers? Continue after the jump:

Professional Conversationalists

The realization came when "Phoenix" had a laugh as he found out who I was going to "table" in the gay bar a few weeks ago. After about two hours of being undecided who to select from the twenty available macho dancers that night, I got one of the more handsome-looking newbies. I've gotten to know almost half the dancers in the bar, so that night I wanted to experience someone else. Like trying out a new dish in a favorite restaurant. But when Phoenix, who was "tabled" with my friend Ringo that night, saw which of the fresh meat dishes I ordered, he wondered what was going on in my mind.

"Ano yan, interview-hin mo lang yan e! (What's that, you're just going to interview him!)" remarked Phoenix.

True enough, that was one of my intentions. For me, the macho dancing gay bar is a place where I can get to select a young, good-looking boy to spend the evening with. Sort of a date, but with my choice of man. without him refusing the invitation. And of course, over expensive beer in a dimly-lit place.

Gay Bar Advice: Selecting a Boy, Show-up

When I was a first-timer in macho dancing bars, I knew I wanted to experience getting a boy to table with me. But with all the coaxing of "Janice" the tranny floor manager for me to get a boy, choosing "the one" became very nerve-wracking:

How would I choose? Which boy would I choose? How much to table a guy? Do I have enough money? Would I like the boy? Would the boy abuse and keep on drinking MD drinks? What if someone I knew went into the bar and saw me with a boy in tow? Will I say "Hi Tita, I was just dragged by my friend who's getting married (at 40?), and this is her ka-table named Junjun"?

Then, with a quickened pulse, I decided to get one. Janice then invited me to go across the bar to view the showroom. All the way there? Where everyone can see me? With the lights of the showroom too bright? Won't the boys see me from this supposed one-way mirror? Embarrassed, I just told her I would select from the boys dancing on stage. In hindsight, that decision already limited my choices.

Good thing, there's what bars call "show up." The manager will gather the un-tabled, available boys, and make them stand in front of you all at once (or in groups of 4-5), in a military line-up, for you to choose. Just like going to the showroom, this can also get a bit embarrassing because all eyes will be on you -- the boys, the manager, the waiters, and the other curious customers.



Crude representation of a show-up: Imagine a line of boys in their underwear in front of you

More experienced than my first visit, I've already requested for "show-up"s from various bars already. I guess I've gotten over the embarrassment (or shame) connected with choosing and table-ing a boy.

What's so interesting about show-up's is the range of looks and expressions of these boys. A few boys give blank stares, not caring if they will be picked. Some will be beaming proud, over-confident that they will be the chosen one, possibly because they know they are the most good-looking or most popular in the bunch (note: "Ruiz"). There will be a few who will be smiling to death, or raising their eyebrows, trying with all their energy to charm the customer. One or two will just be at the back of the group, either shy-types or newbies or those who feel that for the nth time this week, they won't be picked. Once a boy is chosen, the rest will simply walk back to their original places -- on unoccupied seats/couches, in their dressing room, or in the showroom.

I got to experience though a slight variation of these show-ups last month (eight months after my first visit). The manager simply introduced two boys at a time, with a name, proper greeting and handshake. I felt it was more respectful to the boys, more discreet for the customer, and less embarrassing to the un-chosen boys. I also felt being in some scene from "The Bachelor(ette)", being wooed by guys one at a time.

Oddly enough, in spite of the managers pushing or the boys' efforts to stand-out or blend in during show-ups, I would already know which macho dancer or hosto to choose. I would've seen the boy earlier that night, either dancing on stage, walking around, or seated from the other end of the bar. With a show-up of the whole set of available men, I just wanted to make sure I've chosen the right one (and confirm that no one else in the bar was better).

GB Goer
Learn more: Lessons from Gay Bars in Manila
http://machosandhostos.blogspot.com/
email: char.affairs@gmail.com; Follow at twitter: @gbgoer